Punctuation Teaching Resources
Teach students how to use punctuation marks in their writing this school year with printable worksheets, fun writing games, instructional slide decks and more elementary school teaching resources designed to help extend and help students learn how to punctuate their writing to be more clear and understandable.
Whether you're teaching your 1st grade class the functions of each punctuation mark, explaining the purpose of apostrophes in contractions and possessives to your 3rd graders or exploring colons and semicolons in writing with a 5th grade group, there are teacher resources for you in this extensive collection!
Aligned with both TEKS and the Common Core English curriculum, the ELA collection includes editable worksheets and teaching presentations and more to save you time on lesson planning. Created by expert teachers, each resource in this punctuation collection has been carefully reviewed and curated by our team. That means it's ready to use in the classroom! You'll even find editable resources, plus differentiated options.
New to teaching this part of the ELA curriculum, or just looking for fresh ways to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teaching team, including some answers to tricky punctuation questions from kids!
What Is Punctuation? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Teaching punctuation may matter now more than ever as texting and other digital forms of communication become ever more common. So let's get started with a definition!
Here's a way to explain what punctuation means to your students in a kid-friendly manner.
Punctuation is a set of marks we use to help make our writing clearer and easier to read.
When we speak, we pause, change our tone of voice or take a breath. Writing is a lot like that, but instead of the quiet that comes when a speaker pauses, punctuation marks are the tools a writer uses to tell readers when to pause.
What Are Punctuation Marks? A Kid-Friendly Definition
The symbols we use for punctuation are called punctuation marks, and there are more than a dozen different ones in English.
Each one of these marks or symbols has its own name and important use in writing, but elementary students only learn about 14 to 16 as they embark on their early writing adventures.
10 Common Punctuation Marks And How to Use Them Correctly
Let's take a look at some examples of common punctuation marks that students can use in their writing, along with some examples of how they can be used!
Period (.)
Sometimes called a full stop, a period looks like a little dot. We use this punctuation mark to end a sentence that is a statement or a command.
- Example: "My favorite food is pizza."
Question Mark (?)
The question mark looks like a period with a squiggly line on top of it. We use a question mark to end a sentence that is a question.
- Example: "What is your favorite color?"
The period with a squiggly line on top of it is the symbol for punctuating a question.
Exclamation Point (!)
The exclamation point looks like a period with a straight line on top of it. We use an exclamation point to show strong emotion or emphasis.
- Example: "Our t-ball team won the game!"
Commas (,)
Commas look like little hooks next to a word in writing. Writers use commas to separate items in a list or to separate clauses in a sentence.
- Examples: "I need to buy apples, bananas and oranges." "After I finish my homework, I will play outside."
Apostrophe (')
An apostrophe looks like a comma suspended in the air. This symbol can be used in writing to show possession or to shorten a word.
- Example: "The cat's toy rolled under the couch."
Quotation Mark (")
Quotation marks look like two commas inverted in the air. This punctuation mark is used to show that someone is speaking or to show the title of a book or movie.
Example: "I'm hungry," the girl said to the boy.
Colon (:)
The punctuation mark symbolized by two dots on top of one another is the colon. Writers can use a colon to introduce a list or an explanation.
- Example: "I need three things for my science experiment: a battery, a wire and a nail."
Semicolon (;)
The semicolon looks like a comma with a dot on top. This symbol is used to separate two closely related independent clauses.
- Example: "I like playing soccer; my brother prefers basketball."
Parentheses ()
We use parentheses to set off additional information within a sentence.
- Example: "My dog (Max) loves to play fetch."
Hyphen (-)
Represented by a short line, writers use a hyphen to connect two words to make a compound word or to separate syllables at the end of a line.
- Example: "short-sleeved shirt"
Confusing Punctuation Rules Explained for Kids
Some punctuation rules are straightforward and relatively easy, but others can get complicated — even for the most attentive students. Here are some of the rules that tend to trip up students!
Does Punctuation Go Inside Parentheses?
This is a tricky one for students because there is no tried and true answer! The rule comes down to context and the punctuation mark used.
Whether punctuation goes inside or outside parentheses depends on the context and the type of punctuation.
- When Punctuation Goes Inside the Parentheses — Commas, periods and other punctuation marks generally go inside when they are part of the sentence within the parentheses.
- When Punctuation Goes Outside the Parentheses — Punctuation marks go outside when they are part of the sentence outside the parentheses. For example, when parentheses are used at the end of a sentence, the period (if there is one) goes outside the parentheses.
Does Punctuation Go Inside Quotation Marks?
Punctuating sentences correctly can be tough for young writers when using quotation marks because — once again — the rules change, depending on the circumstance!
In American English, the general rule is to place most punctuation marks inside the closing quotation marks. Still, there are some exceptions!
Here are some more common rules to go by:
- When Punctuation Goes Inside the Question Mark — Commas, periods and other punctuation marks generally go inside when they are part of the sentence within the parentheses.
- When Punctuation Goes Outside the Question Mark — Punctuation marks go when the writer uses single quotes within double quotes. In that case, single quotes will be used for the quoted material inside the double quotes. Confused? This example may help! She said, "My favorite book is 'Frog and Toad'."
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Fix the Sentence - Quotation Marks Practice Activity
Provide perfect punctuation practice with an engaging ‘Fix the Sentence’ Quotation Marks digital learning activity.
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Grammar and Punctuation Tails - Active Learning
An active game that requires students to use their basic grammar and punctuation knowledge.
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Quotation Punctuation Interactive Game
Make learning about quotation marks more exciting with an Interactive Quotation Marks Punctuation Game!
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Contractions Matching Activity - Dog Bone and Bowl
Practice matching words with their contraction with this fun bone and bowl matching activity.
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Using Commas in Dates and Series - SCOOT! Game
Practice using commas in dates and series with a whole-class SCOOT game!
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Contraction Match-Up Cards
Practice matching contractions with their expanded form with this extensive collection of match up cards.
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Contractions Flower Match Activity
Practice matching the correct words with their contraction with this cute flower match activity.
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Contractions Bingo Game
Build vocabulary and have fun with contraction word games!
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Contractions Board Game
Encourage growth in spelling and writing conventions with a board game to practice making contractions using apostrophes.
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Contractions Cupcake Match
Practice matching contractions with their words using this fun cupcake match-up.
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Christmas Board Game - 1st Grade Punctuation
Engage students by having them play a Christmas board game, refining their abilities to use correct punctuation at the end of sentences.
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Contractions for Kids - Interactive Activity
Encourage growth in spelling and writing conventions with a Contractions for Kids Google Interactive.
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Commas in Dates and Series - Google Slides Interactive Activity
Practice correct comma placement in dates and series with a Google Interactive Activity.
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Possessive Nouns - Interactive Clipcards
Provide digital possessive noun practice activities for your learners with a Google Interactive activity.
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Possessive Nouns - Four in a Row Game
Practice using the correct forms of possessive nouns with an exciting game of Four-in-a-Row!
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Possessive Google Interactive
Engage your learners with a Google Interactive activity designed to build skill with possessive nouns.
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Contractions Dominoes
Build vocabulary and spelling skills and have fun with contraction word games.
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Contractions SLAP IT! Card Game
Play a contraction matching game to enhance grammar and spelling skills in the classroom.
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Contractions - I Have, Who Has? Card Game
Encourage correct spelling and usage of contractions in your Language Arts lessons with an engaging I Have, Who Has? Card game.
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Contraction Activity Cards
A set of 36 contraction matching cards that can be used individually, in pairs or small groups, or as part of a whole-class activity.
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This or That! PowerPoint Game - Contractions
An active PowerPoint game to practice working with contractions.
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Punctuation Parking Lot Game
Practice recognizing and using end punctuation with our set of punctuation cards and matching game board.
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Punctuation BINGO
A set of 20 BINGO game boards and cards to practice recognizing and naming end punctuation.
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Apostrophe of Possession Card Game
An interactive card game for students to play to reinforce their understanding of the apostrophe of possession.
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Declarative, Interrogative, and Exclamatory Sentence Match-up Cards
A set of match-up cards to use when teaching younger students about the types of sentences.
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This or That! PowerPoint Game - Possessive Nouns
An active PowerPoint game to practice working with possessive nouns.
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Solve and Shuffle - Ending Punctuation PowerPoint Game
An active PowerPoint game to practice ending punctuation.
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BUMP! Contractions - Board Game
A board game to practice making contractions using apostrophes.
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BUMP! Possessives - Board Game
A board game to practice writing possessive nouns using apostrophes.
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Bowling Game - End Punctuation
Practice recognizing and naming end punctuation with this set of 36 phrase cards and punctuation pins.
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Punctuation Pizza Cover-up Game
Practice recognizing and using end punctuation with this set of pizza game boards and pepperoni phrase cards with missing punctuation.